Collection: How I Get Enough (Vegetarian) Protein

How I Get Enough (Vegetarian) Protein

At age 51, I’ve seen a lot of diet trends. From non-fat everything to the all-fat Atkins diet, from paleo to vegan, from only raw food to “that banana will first give you belly fat and then kill you,” everyone has a theory about how we should eat—until the next trend comes along. As a medical doctor, some of the the trends make more sense to me than others, including the current trend, which is laser-focused on protein. This post answers a few questions I had about increasing my protein intake, as well as some practical suggestions for how to approach eating more protein without driving yourself crazy.

Should I consider a high protein diet?

Since protein is what helps us build and maintain muscle mass, and muscle is the most metabolically healthy type of tissue we have, it follows that emphasizing protein intake could improve overall health over time. So even without a specific goal in mind, increasing your protein intake, especially as you age, can help maximize your ability to remain metabolically healthy, which reduces your risk of chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and dementia. That alone is reason enough to consider eating more protein, and painfully points out the lack of education in the medical system about nutrition; when is the last time your doctor asked how much protein you’re eating per day? If you want to take a deep dive into this subject, read Good Energy by my friend Dr. Casey Means, another MD who got fed up with the system and forged her own path.

But maybe you have a more specific goal when it comes to switching your diet. If you’re trying to get to a healthier weight, more protein can help you stay fuller longer, and reduce your cravings for other, less nutritious foods. If you’re trying to build muscle, and you have an active lifestyle, increasing your protein gives your body the building blocks to synthesize those new muscle cells. If you’re a perimenopausal woman like me, possibly with mild osteopenia like me, and you’re lifting weights three times a week to stimulate bone and muscle growth, you probably need more protein in your diet to make it possible for your body to partner with you in your efforts. 

Should anyone avoid a high protein diet?

There are some rare medical situations in which a high protein diet is not recommended, such as kidney failure and anorexia nervosa. And there is still a lot of research to be done about extremely high protein diets—we’re in the early days of learning how that can affect the body over the long haul. But increasing your protein intake from the levels that have been recommended by doctors and nutritional experts for the last forty years is probably a good choice for most people. As with anything, it’s about finding the right balance for your body and your goals. 

How much protein should I eat?

The next question, of course, is how much protein??  The “current” RDA is 0.36 grams per pound of body weight, which for me would mean about 46 grams a day. That recommendation, though, is very old, based on outdated science, and far too general, as it does not consider the individual. In the wellness industry, experts like Dr. Gabrielle Lyon and Dr. Peter Attia both recommend more like 0.8-1.0 grams per pound of body weight, especially when accompanied by resistance training, which for me would mean 104-130 grams of protein per day. For the meat eaters of the world, this is achievable, although it takes a little math and some level of focus to achieve. For a vegetarian like me, it’s much harder. For vegans, it’s a full-time job.

How much protein should I eat per meal?

It turns out that you can eat both too much protein and too little protein in one sitting, both of which will reduce your body’s ability to put the amino acids to good use. The sweet spot seems to be roughly 25-30 grams per meal, possibly 30-35 if you’re only eating plant-based protein. My trick was to learn a few combinations of foods that added up to about 30 grams and let those be the building blocks for my meals. 

How much fat and carbohydrate should I eat?

Honestly, I focus on prioritizing protein (30 grams per meal roughly) and unprocessed foods, and trust that the macros will work out. Once I have 30 grams of protein on my plate, I surround it with fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices, sometimes a small serving of whole grains, and I usually end up with a good mix of fats, fiber, and carbs. If you have super specific goals for your weight or your athletic training, you may want to work with an expert to help you tailor and track your macros. 

What kind of protein should I eat?

Animal proteins, including eggs and dairy, tend to be more fully absorbed and efficiently used by our bodies, and include higher levels of leucine, one of the amino acids that triggers muscle protein synthesis. Renowned functional medicine expert Dr. Mark Hyman is a huge proponent of high-quality meat consumption for this reason, often saying that the best way to build muscle is to eat muscle. Unfortunately, eating animals does not work for my internal code of ethics, so I am limited to organic, regenerative eggs and organic dairy products. If you are a meat eater, you should know that regeneratively raised animals provide by far the highest quality protein (and other nutrients) when compared to conventionally-raised animals. They are also treated much more humanely than conventionally-raised animals, in case that helps justify the investment for you.

There are loads of plant protein options available, from whole foods to protein powders of varying quality. While I’d love to be able to meet my protein goals using only whole foods, I find that I usually end up adding one serving of protein powder most days, for an extra 30 grams of protein. If I did not work and could stay home in my kitchen all day, I’d ideally skip the protein powder, but this is my real life right now, and I’m doing the best I can within that setting.

What are the best sources of plant protein?

Legumes, like peas, lentils, and beans, contain a reasonable amount of protein and often come with fiber and other nutrients. Soybeans and minimally processed soy foods like organic tofu and tempeh are high in protein. Organic nuts and seeds are excellent sources of protein and fatty acids—I add them to most meals in one form or another.

What are some good, high-protein vegetarian meals?

Here are a few meals I eat regularly, all of which have around 30 grams of protein: 

• 2 farm eggs and one ounce of goat cheddar cheese, plus one individual organic greek yogurt or cottage cheese
• One cup of greek yogurt with peanut butter granola, fresh berries, and two tablespoons of hemp seeds
• Large green salad with two hard boiled eggs, lots of veggies, one serving of tofu or edamame, and a handful of almonds
• Quinoa bowl with black beans, tofu, sauteed veggies, and toasted pumpkin seeds
• These zucchini fritters (with the sauce, which has both tofu and greek yogurt), which I normally eat at the end of summer, but it can be eaten any time of year
• This vegetarian chili, especially when it’s cool outside!

What is the best vegetarian protein powder?

This is a matter of personal preference to some degree, but I use Garden of Life Sport Organic Plant-Based Protein in Vanilla for most smoothies—it’s mostly pea protein, has lots of good organic ingredients, doesn’t taste bad to me, and contains branched-chain amino acids, which can be helpful to round out the profile of plant-based protein and make sure you’re getting enough of all the amino acids necessary for your body to build muscle. I also like the NorCal Organic peanut butter protein powder for any chocolate-based smoothies.  If you eat dairy and can tolerate whey protein, the NorCal line is nice for whey protein powders as well. Also, this is likely specific to my GI tract, but I experienced truly awful stomach cramps when I used Truvani protein powder, and I tried it enough times that I know it was cause and effect. (I also found quite a few folks online who had the same reaction, so maybe it’s not just my weird system!)

What are some good, high-protein smoothie recipes?

I hate a disappointing smoothie, so I’ve gotten pretty decent at making them over the years. Here are some of my best recipes!

• Blueberry Basil Breakfast Smoothie
• The Best Not-Green Smoothie
• The Longevity Breakfast Smoothie
• The Post Workout Smoothie

What are the best high-protein snacks for vegetarians?

I try to have good, high-protein snacks around so I can cobble together a 30-gram dose of protein pretty quickly. Here are my favorites:

The last thing I’ll say about a high protein diet, or any nutrition plan for that matter, is this: you have to make it work for you, or it’s not worth it. I dipped a toe in the world of disordered eating in high school, so I’m pretty careful about how I approach my eating now. I want to make sure I’m taking the best care of my body possible, but I don’t ever want to track calories again for any reason, as it’s still a bit triggering for me. So, I took the time to learn how much protein was in one serving of some of my favorite high protein foods and tracked my protein carefully using an app called Cronometer for a few weeks. When I was tracking it closely, I usually got up to 90-125 grams a day But, once I had it dialed, I stopped tracking to keep my mental health in a good place. Now, I think about protein first when I’m making a meal, and try to hit 30+ grams 3-4 times a day, and trust that I’m getting way more protein than I did before I made it a priority. I’ll keep you posted on how the muscle building goes, and hope this information is helpful. Find me on Instagram with any questions!

With love,